Simon Payne, MD, Damovo UK & Ireland

What has been your journey to MD of Damovo?

I joined Damovo in July 2009 as director of Damovo Global Services; one of the fastest growing parts of the Damovo Group. I then moved to the UK organisation as the deputy managing director, which then led to being appointed MD of UK and Ireland.

I have over 15 years’ experience within the industry, working in a number of international ICT roles, including a CEO in Australia and sales and marketing director in both the US and UK; working for companies such as Conexion Ltd and Touchbase.

What has been your best moment in business?

The best moment is always when you first find out that you have won a landmark deal that breaks you into a new market.

What was your biggest regret?

Not buying shares in Google at the initial IPO.

What is the best business advice you have ever been given?

Money is like water and constantly flows from place to place. In business, all you are trying to do is create your own little dam and direct a stream in your company’s’ direction.

Which company (other than yours) do you admire the most and why?

I admire Google; for its market domination in the past 15 years. I also admire Coca Cola for its global brand awareness and Apple, for its entrepreneurial approach and the fact it constantly manages to reinvent and refresh the brand.

Which other CEO do you believe has done an outstanding job? Why?

My all-time favourites are Jack Welch, for the way he turned around GE and Steve Jobs, for his sheer attention to detail and persistence.

What is the single biggest issue facing the channel in 2013?

The biggest issue facing the channel this year remains to be the uncertainty in the economy. With economic uncertainty comes slower decision-making and the need to offer fully demonstrable returns on solutions proposed. Ultimately, this amounts to increased competition and margin pressure.

What’s next for Damovo?

2013 is already shaping up to be an exciting time for Damovo, with the three big trends of cloud, mobility and unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) continuing to be the top technology priorities. Here at Damovo, we’re working hard to ensure our clients are in a position to take advantage of the latest technology innovations. One example is the recent expansion of our hosted offering with the launch of Collaboration as a Service (CaaS) powered by Cisco.

We will also continue to focus on delivering exceptional client service with projects such as re-developing our Client Portal and creating a Client Solutions specialist team to provide advice and guidance on best fit solutions and services for the needs of our clients. We’re also creating a Damovo Client Innovation Centre at our headquarters in Horsham, showcasing the latest technologies.